BHAKTI

What is imprtant is Bakthi and not how you pray. If with real Bakthi you
lie down and pray, the Lord sits up and listens. If you sit up and pray
he stands up and litens. If you stand up and pray He dances and listens.
What matters then really is Bhaavana.

Adi Sankara preached Jnana marga at the initial stages. But later he declared
that the path of Bakthi is easier than the path of knowledge.

Bakthi and Nadha cannot be seperated from each other. Have a fair assessment
of your abilities and use them confidently in the service of humanity which
is nothing but the service of the Lord.

The essential characterestics of Bakthi are the consecration of all activities,
by self surrender to God and expreme anguish if he were to be forgotten.

Bakthi means the love of God. Namasankirtan is the best way to get the bliss
of God's Grace.

Bakthi has no room for any intermediary. It is the impulse of love sublimated;
as such it is impervious and brooks no obstacle or hindrance. Bakthi transecends
priest craft.

Bakthi means not merly devotion. It cosists of the highest kind of love
- the love of God and faith in the personal God or Saguna Brahma.

Agni - the fire god is a dutiful postman. During Homa, Agni - our postman
carries our offering to the destination provided we perform the homa with
spotless devotion.

Several types of devotion are discussed in our scriptures. Among them, Self
Surrender(atmaniveda) is considered to be the last and the highest stage
of devotion. Self -surrender requires complete effacement of "I"
the ego and the feelings of doer-ship and enjoyer-ship.

The Lord knows what you want and is pleased with your sincere devotion.
God or Guru is no other than the man's inner consiense. He who knows this
is a Jnani. Such a one also knows that in order to find God, he should be
mostly self-reliant. That is , he should turn his mind inwards and seek
protection of the indwelling Being.